A Letter to Luke: 15 & 18 Months!

Dear Luke,

First, please stop growing. 

You are growing up so fast, its hard to believe in 6 months you will be 2! 

I have been a bad mommy. 

I forgot, was lazy, and  I didn't blog about your 15 month check up. 

The good news is that you are HUGE, the bad news some of the results may have been wrong back then.

lame.

but whatever

Regardless, You are  MUCH bigger than both Nicky and Luke at 15 months

My little linebacker.

You are a H E A L T H Y boy.

very big.

very heavy

I have back, neck, and hip problems

But I wouldn't trade it for the world.

You are INCREDIBLE.

At every wellness check we get your vitals and you are finally TALLER then your belly is BIGGER!

You are 34 inches - 95% and 27.5 pounds - 90%. You are already wearing a size 8 shoe (Nicky 7, Brandon 6) and in 2T clothes.
Both Nick and B were still comfortably in 18 - 24.

When I talk about you, I describe you as my angel.
Because you are
If I had you first I would have 1800 little boys
No offense Nicky and B.
But you are just so EASY
Sure you are throwing tantrums and trying to push boundaries
but you are so sweet and so perfect and so beautiful
I cant belive that you are real half the time
I think about how every day they boys hit you and push you and you cry.
and my heart breaks.
but you are waiting for your moment
You will be strong and grow to move mountains.

At 18 months you are even bigger!
You are "talking" more
well just saying Mama and Ball more
Thats about it
Im trying not to worry
Nicky was already doing algebra
Brandon had at least 10 words/sentances
and you...not so much.
It will come.
Im not worries.
I am so proud of you
I am in awe of you
I am so lucky
I dont think you can be any cuter.

At 18 months, you love trucks, buses, book, and your brothers, You love to ride Nikcy's 4-wheeler, and ride the scooter.
You get dressed by yourself, and love to wear everyones shoes. You love the bath.

Like all my boys, you love to be naked, and love to throw the ball for all the doggies.
We spend Saturday mornings together while Dan takes the other boys to the park and we play with art, play games, and dance.

You love bedtime and so SO perfect. I can put you down and you just go to sleep. I THANK YOU.
you love your three little blankets.
and you hate to be dirty or wet
just like your borthers you scream everytime I try to change you
I have to chase you areound the house.
You love Peek-a-boo
You love the dogs
you have a sweet tooth already
We read 4-5 books every night and you point out your favorite dogs, balls, and bugs.
I love when you see food in a picture how you say "Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm"

You have the best facial expressions and the best grunts to communicate.
You have swagger.
You have attitude.

I know what grunts mean what and we are working on more words.
You can sign for "more" and most colors.
You know cat, dog, ball, mama.
You can do everything we ask, but cant verbalize yet
You love to point out buses and fire trucks and make siren sounds when you see an ambulance.
You bring me snacks.
You love to clean and we have to pry brooms out of your hand.
You've started to play by yourself and have your own make believe

You are so You, and I love you.

 P.S. I posted Nicks and Brandon's monthly letters below so we can compare as always.

xoxox Love Mama


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Happy 18 months, Banjo!

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Banjo, Banjo, Banjo...how did we get SO LUCKY to have the easiest, sweetest, happiest, cutest boy ever?? Don't get me wrong, your brother gives you a run for your money, however we never described him as "EASY" or "Happiest." He was (and still is) strong willed, challenging, way too smart, and endearing. BUT YOU - you are perfectly perfect in so many ways. {Don't you worry Nicky - your 32 month letter is next} Since your last check up, so much has changed! You've had a little verbal word explosion and we are so thrilled with your recent developments. You can say over 20 words now, but can repeat much more when asked. We got rid of the baba and your are so much more vocal. You've put together your first sentences:

• Here you go!
• I see you!

You have really started to get into books, and every night we sit down with you and go through all your favorite ones. You're walking so much better and our concerns about any excessive drooling have stopped.

At every wellness check we get your vitals and you are finally TALLER then your head is BIGGER! You are 32 inches - 75% and 26 pounds - 50%. You've thinned out and your baby beer belly is almost gone. You are in a size 6 shoe now and 18 - 24 month clothes.

Remember last month? when you decided not too sleep? Well, thank god you've put an end to that craziness. Once again - you are the best sleeper - we put you down with minimal crying or fussing and you pretty much sleep through the night again. If in fact, we do have to go up and check on you, you make us take you downstairs to watch Wonder Pets or Oobi. We watch for a while, and then you get to say "buh-bye" and go back upstairs. You sleep until about 730 every morning and sometimes I have to wake you so we aren't late for school.

You love to play with anything that Nicky has, and you love pushing tea carts and lawnmowers all over the house. You love balls, bubbles, and the doggies. You love to point out buses and you yell "beep beep" when you see a big truck go by. You also have a sweet tooth.

And we can hardly believe in 6 months you will be 2! never forget, you are our little ray of sunshine and you have made such a huge and positive impact in our lives. We adore everything about you.

And as always, I went back to check and compare Nicky's 18 month update.

Dear Brandon - 15 months

Monday, October 11, 2010

Dear Brandon,

You turned 15 months on October 10th and we celebrated with a wellness check. You do very well at the Dr's. You "talk" to everyone and are growing well on the chart, a perfect curve, but you are chunkier than you are tall. You weigh 25 pounds (55%), height 30.75 inches (45%), head 47.7 cent (50%). Your little feet fit into a little size 5 shoe and 12 - 18 months clothes are starting to get tight. You knew mommy had her hands full with Nicky, so you sleep 7 - 7  for me and you can nap almost 3 hours a day. You have the most perfect smile and the blondest silkiest hair. No haircut yet...maybe next month.  Your eyes are amazing -  still a stormy blue grey and you have 16 sharp teeth. You love to laugh, play, and kiss. You do this special little butt dance on me, and never do I feel more loved and treasured. These are the little things a mom holds on to. You do have a little temper and you are starting to show a preference for daddy. You are very agile, and like to stack blocks, ride tricycles, and climb. You can moos when we say cow, and kinda woofs when we say dog. You can point to your head, knows shoes go on your feet, and can throw away garbage. You pick up the phone and says Hi. You still are not talking much, but you make your presence known. You can say mama, dada, up, hi, more, wawa (for water or chocolate. ha), and occasionally you will throw out a thank you or naked. We took you last week to have your hearing tested to make sure you weren't partially deaf from all the ear infections and you passed. There could be some delay if your ears where blocked for periods of time, but they do not predict any delays in development. We continue to work with you, and we've seen an increase in your vocabulary and mumblings even in the last week. These last 15 months have been crazy but worth it. lI love you, Banjo.

Dear Nicky - 18 month letter

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Dear Nicholas,

Last week you had your 18 month check up. It was a little late because we canceled your first one last minute to go visit your Auntie Val in Party City.  What a great trip that was, just you and me. You are growing up so fast, its hard to believe in 6 months you will be 2!

Not too much has changed since last time except you are now 32 inches tall and 28 pounds! Your weight is in the 75th percentile and your height is in the 50th. That means your a little above average, but Daddy and I think you are way above average. You are wearing a size 6 shoe and pretty much fit perfectly into 18 - 24.

18 months and you still prove to be challenging in some areas and in others you continue to blow us away, especially how smart you are. You have started to say sentences and put multiple words together like:

• Thank you
• Where did it go?
• I don't know
• Come Zeus, Come Ra
• No, mine
• All Done
• and my favorite I love you. (when asked)
  

Right now we are working on Merry Christmas. It comes out Merry Nah.

Our biggest worry right now is how to help you stop crying at night. It breaks our heart every night when we hear you cry out for us. We would do anything to take all that sadness away....but are your REAAAALLLLY sad, or just know how to play the game, mister??  On the occasion you do break us down and we go back upstairs to tuck you back in, you are just fine. So happy we are there, just to point out the moon and stars. You will even lay there pretending to be asleep while we sneak out, just to have you jump up crying again. Daddy and Mommy may have to start turning off the monitor...and I can't begin to imagine how this will all work out once you figure out how to climb out of the crib. I do not look forward to that day.

At 18 months, you love trucks and trains and anything with wheels. You love to point out buses and fire trucks and make siren sounds when you see an ambulance. You pick me flowers. You love sticks and old pipes. You love to clean and we have to pry brooms out of your hand. You still ADORE your Daddy. Puppies and bubbles are still top of your list. You've started to play by yourself and have your own make believe.

You can count to 2. (go Nicky!), say ABC, and every color is green, but we're working on it. We can get a blue, white, yellow, red, and purple out of you when prompted. You can sign a lot of words, and love to be outside. Ant bites make your skin flare up and you hate bugs. You still have your nini (pacifier) but we're working on it.

and at 18 months you still dance...

...and you make us dance. we love you poops.

Mommy

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Dear Luke - 9 months

Dear Luke,
It's been my tradition to write my boys a letter after their monthly wellness check. I don't know what else to say other than you are PERFECT! You are such a joy. You have captured everyone's hearts and your smile is pure delight.

You had your 9 month wellness check on Feb 21st and there was good news to report. You are growing strong and healthy - as if we didn't know!
Weight 25lbs  - 95th percentile
Height: 30 inches - 85th percentile
Head - BIG - 95th percentile


You are bigger, taller, and heavier than the other boys were at 9 months. You blew out of your 6-12 months clothes and I didn't even get to put you in everything. You're in a 12- 18, but can wear up to 24 months already. You are wearing a size 3 shoe or a 12-18 month size.

At 8 months you took your first step, and by 8.5 you were taking 3-5 steps. Now, just 2 weeks later you are walking everywhere - AND you beat Nicky. You are about a month ahead of him and 2 months ahead of Brandon.


Just like Brandon, you have 7 teeth. We didn't know if because your top lip doesn't move very much, but we just found 4 teeth poking through! You eat just about everything now and get very angry when you cant eat what your brothers are eating. You are down to 3-4 bottles and last month you stopped nursing :(

You sleep through the night the the best little sleeper. I had no idea what a baby who sleeps is like. Both Nicky and Brandon have had their moments, but things change over here on a daily basis. For now, we put you down around 6:30 and you get up around 7 am. You take 2 naps - 1 at 930 and then again at 1:30.


You can clap and go up the stairs. You can high five and you love to laugh. Daddy makes you laugh a lot. I love watching Nicky play peek a boo with you. We have graduated you to a big boy car seat and you no longer can fit in the infant one. Syonarah infant stuff! I can not wait to get rid of you. Be GONE!!


You love to play outside with your brothers and have a baby crush on little Kaitlin across the street. Brandon loves to drive you around in his firetruck and you have a blast.


I love you my last little angel. You make us very happy. I love watching you grown and become the man I know you will be. Its hard to say something different to you that I haven't said to the other boys, but know that I love you. Know that you can be and do anything you want. Know that you are special, important, kind, and good. Know that no matter what you do and are, I will never stop loving you.

Dear Brandon, Happy 9 months!

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

 Dear Brandon,

Happy 9 months, my little man! It feels like it was just yesterday I was driving to the hospital to meet you. I can't believe you are growing so much and so fast and becoming so independent. Over the last nine months, you have collected quite a list of nicknames: Brandy Boy from the ladies at School, Brando from Valerie, BB from Josh. Before you were born I dreamt of you and in my dreams, you were my little Banjo. That's my pet name for you. But your Daddy and I, just love you. Nicky calls you "NO Brandon, Move". That's his way of loving you too.


I also refer to you as the Happiest Baby of the Block. You continue to remind me, that not only were you another gift, but that baby boys can be easy and happy. I am constantly surprised that you like to play by yourself, how easy it is to rock you to sleep, to give you a toy to keep you busy, to HOLD you. and STAY there. It's quite a nice and refreshing change. It lets us chase after your brother!

You had your 9 month wellness check today and there was good news to report. You are growing strong and healthy.

weight 21.8 ounces - 70th percentile
Height: 29 inches - 75th percentile
Head - 46 cm - 70% percentile

You have 7 teeth and another poking through. You can't clap yet or high five, but you get SO excited when we ask you to. We'll be working on it.

You're crawling all over, and sometimes when we turn our heads you are half way up the stairs now! Time to get more baby gates! You are enjoying school and doing so well. You are eating lots of solids and finger foods. Your normal schedule is cheerios/life/puffs in the morning before school, and at school you get 2-3 servings of baby food. You love pears and peaches, and yogurt. You also have a special place in your heart for Maddie, a girl at school who you share your treats.







You are starting to cruise and let go. Even stand for a bit by yourself. I captured this video yesterday of you "walking" with Nicky's Dump Truck (we won't tell him)


I am so proud of you my little Banjo. As always I like to see how you are doing in comparison to Nicky. Below are notes I took from his 9 month check up as well as a picture from his 9th month. He was a little stronger, heavier and taller, and already clapping, but we have time. I have no doubt you will shine in your own way. And you already do in our hearts. Never doubt that.

we love you, banjo.

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Nicky started clapping and High Fives. he takes a couple steps now and is getting so big. At this last check -up for 9 months he was in the 75% for height, 85% from weight (up from 70% at 6 months) and still in the 40% for head. He has gained some weight and is really filled out. His weighs about 22 pounds now.

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6 Months Big!

Dear Luke,

This morning I woke up, took one look at your little face and thought to myself,  ”Wow, daddy and I made you; and you’re pretty incredible”. I have 3 incredible boys. And that makes me happy! It makes the recent events tolerable and puts my life into perspective.You have made me happy for 6 months - half a year! And what a half year it has been. I can't wait for the rest. I can't wait for "forever."

You are in the 90th percentile for weight (20.6 lbs) and height (27 inches) and 75th for head circumference. {ALWAYS different with each boy!}

You've grown, my little man and slimmed down a little...and your head grew. {Forgive me, but I am going to plagiarize myself - I stole this from Brandon's letter} You had your third round of shots and screamed our pants off. During the check-up the Dr checked all your vitals and tracked your milestone progress...sitting up? check. eating solids? check. reaching for toys? check. Responding to name? check. Teeth? check - 2 of them on the bottom. We got the OK for finger foods and sippy cup with water.You are also pulling yourself to standing, and crawling all over. You love to play with toys, and are content to sit for hours - something your brothers never really liked to do. you even will just sit in my lap. We have a fun new "trike" for you. i will post pictures of it later. You are starting to babble and love to blow raspberries. You love your jumper and we have to buy you a walker because you want to zoom all over. You love the doggies too. You are fascinated by them and watch them. You are also so fascinated by your brothers. Oh how your face lights up when you see them. You are a special and incredible young man. I can wait to watch you grow. I love you oh so much.

.:Below are the letters and posts for when Nicky and Brandon were 6 months:.

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 Dear Brandon,

I am sorry this is so late. I have been so busy at work and haven't had time to sit down and write you a proper letter once you completed your 6th month wellness check. On January 10th you turned 6 months old and have changed so much in the last month. You are in the 75th percentile for weight (18 lbs) and height (27 inches) and 60th for head circumference. You've grown, my little man. You had your third round of shots and did very well, just minimal crying and and some angry looks directed at me. During the check-up the dr checked all your vitals and tracked your milestone progress...sitting up? check. eating solids? check. reaching for toys? check. Responding to name? check. Teeth? check - 2 of them. We got the OK for finger foods and sippy cup with water.

Our only concern at this point is the shape of your head. Until recently, you have been content to just lay on your back watching and patiently waiting...no hustle and bustle about you. All this laying down, has caused a slight lopsidedness to the back of your head and we are considering a helmet for you to wear for a couple months. If we do this, please know we are doing it because we love you and want you to have a nice head. :) 

You already getting on all fours and starting to scoot around. You don't get very far and usually end in a face plant, but you are trying.You so badly want to run and play with your brother. The way you look at him melts my heart, you are in total awe. Nicky is still a little indifferent for now, but we are starting to see some protective attitude when you are surrounded by other kids.

At 6 months, you love to smile and laugh and you are easily amused. You love to play with toys and will spend long periods of time cooing and rolling all over the ground. You can stay busy watching the dogs run in circles, and we get such joy out of your giggles. You've already learned that doggies give kisses and just like Nicky, you love when they lick you all over. You love to jump in the jumper, and spending time outside makes you happy. The only other thing that makes you squeal for joy is the bath. You already love to spend hours soaking in the tub and we pass the time reading books and playing with the foam ABCs. Tomorrow you start swim lessons with your brothers so you will be ready for this summer!

Now that you have had 5 weeks of "sleep training" under your belt, you are sleeping so much better. You go to bed around 6:30 pm and sleep until 3 am or 4 am. Then you will usually sleep until 6 or 7. Daddy usually goes upstairs and brings you down to me in the morning. You love to lay right next to me and snuggle. That hour before Nicky gets up is our special time to catch up and dicsuss the day ahead. You are such a happy baby and so easy going.I am so lucky to have such a sweet boy. Watching you grow up to be a little man has become one of my greatest pleasures. I can't wait to see what you can do. I love you to the moon and back, my little Banjo.

xoxo,

Mommy

PS. I thought it would be fun to see a picture of Nicky at 6 months and see what I had to say about him at the same time in his development and how different/same they are.

Nicholas went for his 6 month his 3rd round of vaccines this week. He is in the 60th percentile in weight, 70th in height, and 30th in head. He weights 18.9 pounds. He is still in some 3-6, but starting to wear 6-12 months now. The dr told us to start feeding him 2 x a day and we can start him on finger foods. He eats apples, bananas, peaches, grapes, rice cereal, carrots, sweet peas, sweet potatoes, and green beans. He is starting to drink from a sippy cup some water. He is almost crawling, and he hops when he tries. He is a very good jumper now. 4 teeth have come in. his 2 middle bottom and his 2 "vampire" teeth. We also had to have him "cry it out" this week. It took 19 minutes the first time. He slept through the night. so far the longest he has cried since was that first night. We also went to Palm Dessert for the weeknd to celebrate Craig's 30th. Nicky was great on the plane - his 4th trip and 8th plane ride!! Grandma Lenore(Booba) flew to the desert to babysit. We had a blast! He also spent a lot of time in the pool. Nicky loves the water.

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